


Lord of the Isles

by elrhiarhodan



Series: Elrhiarhodan's 2019 Personal Writing Challenge [4]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternative Universe - No Spies, Alternative Universe - Royalty, Happy Ending, Kidnapping, M/M, Merwin, No Sex, no violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 19:45:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18923806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrhiarhodan/pseuds/elrhiarhodan
Summary: Eggsy Unwin had been kidnapped off the streets of London and tossed into the hold of a sailing ship.  But he's not alone in his captivity, there's another man with him, one who rarely speaks, but he does his best to keep Eggsy sane.  Until one day, the other man is taken away and Eggsy thinks he's been left to rot.  But a rescue does come, from a most unexpected source.





	Lord of the Isles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anarchycox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anarchycox/gifts).



> I've been having a bit of trouble writing the last two weeks (I hate all my words), and in an effort to keep from deleting everything (including this account), I thought I'd try writing a bit of flash fiction. Don't know if this makes any sense or not - and I'm itching from all of the plot holes - but here you go. Many thanks to my most talented partner in crime, AnarchyCox, for the prompt "Merwin, Secret *****" (See end notes, because the prompt is spoilery).

Locked into the hold of the ship, Eggsy can't remember the last time he's seen the sky, the last time he's breathed air not befouled by the stench of bilge and human waste, or the last time he's walked upright like a man; he's just grateful he's not alone otherwise, he just might have gone mad. Except that five mornings ago, instead of getting the day's rations thrown at him, two of the sailors had come into the hold, grabbed his fellow captive and dragged him away and no one had said a word.

Time has no meaning here in the hold, without sunlight or moonlight or any light at all – Eggsy only thinks it's "morning" when his captors bring them food and fresh water – so he has no idea how much time has passed; he only knows that he's alone now and every creak and snap of the ship's timbers echo in his head like some demented spirit waiting to devour his sanity.

Which is why he doesn't quite believe his ears when the door opens and a man comes down the ladder; not a sailor, though, not by the sound of boot heels scraping against the timber rungs. The lamp this newcomer is carrying casts a glow that hurts Eggsy's dark-adjusted eyes, but Eggsy can see that this is no ordinary sailor, not with the knee boots and full-skirted coat and powered hair. 

"Eggsy?"

"Who are you?" He doesn't know who this man is – this soft, poncy-sounding Englishman or how he knows his nickname.

"We have a mutual … friend. He's asked me to fetch you."

"Don't have no friends." Eggsy deliberately doesn't think of the man he'd shared the hold with for so long. The man who'd rarely talked and never told him his name, the man who would just listen to Eggsy ramble on about nothing and everything. The man had held him when the night terrors came, whispering to him to stay strong, to hold on, to believe that they'd be rescued one day. 

"Well, you can either stay here like an ungrateful brat or you can come with me."

"Well, fuck you and the horse you road in on." Eggsy's invective is weak, if he wasn't so scared, he'd do better.

"Hmm, that's a fairly tall order. I came in on a three-decker, one hundred twenty gun ship of the line. I don't think I'd want to either fuck or get fucked by that, her beam is over fifty-four feet."

Eggsy can't help it, laughter burbled out of him. "You're fucking barmy, bruv."

"I know, I've been told that on several notable occasions. Now, as pleasant as this hold may be, I think you might be happier topside." The man holds out his hand.

Reluctantly, Eggsy takes it. He'd expected it to be smooth, soft, as posh as this bugger's voice, but it's hard and calloused and not all that different from his own.

"What's your name?"

"You can call me … Galahad."

"Huh? Like in those old stories? With King Arthur and his knights? Don't think I'm really the type of fair maiden you'd be rescuing."

"Well, aren't you full of surprises. And yes, just like that."

Eggsy lets Galahad lead him to the steps and as much as he wants to go first and maybe slam the door shut on this crazy bugger, he doesn't want to go first and be shot for his pains. Galahad stares at him, and in the flickering lamplight, he looks a little too much like a demon from hell. "All right, I'll go first."

Galahad climbs up the ladder and Eggsy follows, hauling himself up. By the time he's head and shoulders above the hatch, he's shaking. He hasn't moved this much since he'd been dumped in the hold, and pulling himself topside takes more energy than he's got. Strong hand reach for him and pull him out, and he lies on the deck, panting. The sun is warm and it feels good on skin that's known nothing but damp for months.

"Eggsy, lad? Are ye all right?"

Eggsy thinks he recognizes that voice. It's the one from his nightmares, or rather – the one that soothed him through the terrors and kept him sane. Eggsy looks up and sees …

A delusion.

The man kneeling next to him is no one he's seen before, and why would he? It's not as if Eggsy had ever hob-nobbed with the nobility. This man looks like a god-eagle who has taken human form and decided to dress in perfect finery, with a blue velvet coat and lace stock punctured with an emerald pin. He even smells good. "Who are you?"

"Don't ye recognize me, lad?"

"No?"

The man smiles and he becomes human. "Ye sure?"

"Never seen your face before."

"Ah, that's true. It was dark down in that hold. And maybe I wouldn't recognize ye either if we passed each other on the streets. But I do know yer voice."

"And ye know my name."

"Eggsy, but your mam and da named ye Gareth. Yer called Eggsy because, well, ye don't rightly know."

"I don't." Eggsy sits up. "They took you away a handful of days ago. You didn't fight them or nothing."

"No, I've been playing a deep game, and didn't want to give it away too soon."

Eggsy doesn't know what that means. He also doesn't understand what's going on. "Who are you?"

"My friends – and I would be honored if you consider yourself one of them – call me Merlin."

"Like Galahad over there?" Eggsy looks at the man who'd brought him out of the hold.

"Aye." Merlin stands up and offers Eggsy his hand. 

It takes some effort, but Eggsy does manage to get to his feet. He lifts his chin and savors the sunlight. It hurts and he closes his eyes. That's better.

Someone says, "Your Highness – " and Eggsy's eyes snap open, he thinks he's misheard, but there's another man, bowing at the waist at Merlin. 

"You – your highness?"

Merlin rolls his eyes, clearly put out. "Yes, unfortunately. My peaceful existence has been interrupted. I'd gotten word that my half-brother wanted me dead, so I arranged to have myself kidnapped had held at sea until the situation resolved itself. And it has, my brother has since been executed for treason and my father has called me home. I'm now the heir instead of the spare. If you don't have any place else you'd like to go, I'd be honored if you came with me."

Eggsy blinks. "With you? Where?"

"A group of independent islands in the North Sea, collectively they are not much bigger than a sheep fart."

Eggsy giggles at that. "What would you want from me?"

"Well, ye did a fine job keeping me sane these last few weeks. So, how does Knight of the Bedchamber sound?"

"Sound good to me, 'cept I ain't sure I did much to keep you sane. You kept me from going to Bedlam."

Merlin smiles. "Then let's say we kept each other sane and leave it at that."

"Then you've got a deal, guv. Or should I call you 'Your Highness'?"

"Not if ye value our friendship, ye won't."

Birds circle overhead, calling to each other. The air is clean and Eggsy stares out into the horizon. It might be just an illusion, but he thinks he see land in the distance. It could be home.

__

FIN

**Author's Note:**

> The full prompt is "Secret Prince".


End file.
